Several photographs and screenshots from the iPad software development kit suggest that there is built in support for an integrated camera, although the iPad units seen by journalists and industry analysts at the event did not feature a lens.

Speculation is rife that future versions of the device will feature a camera. Bloggers even believe that the iPad Steve Jobs showed to the audience at the Yerba Buena centre had a lens on the front.

According to the Mission: Repair blog, which has seen some of the components used to build and fix the iPad, there is a metal frame inside the device that appears to contain a slot for a camera. The team was able to fit a webcam, taken from a MacBook laptop, in to that slot.

Screenshots taken by developers working on the iPad's software development kit also suggest that the iPad supports an integrated camera. The Contact application, an address book for the iPad, gives users the choice of adding a picture to an entry by taking a photo.

Industry experts believe Apple had originally intended to include a webcam in the iPad, but weren't able to produce units cheaply enough to meet the desired $499 entry-level price point. However, there is a strong suspicion that future versions of the iPad will feature an iSight camera.

Apple has refused to comment on the rumours and speculation. The Wi-Fi only version of the iPad will go on sale here in the next few weeks, with a 3G-enabled device set to follow in the coming months.